A SOMBRE atmosphere filled the streets of central Oxford as crowds gathered to mark Brexit Day.

A vigil was held on Friday night to mark the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union at 11pm.

A candlelit ceremony outside of Oxford Town Hall on St Aldates began the evening, followed by a meeting inside the hall.

The crowd was too large for the pavements around the steps into the town hall’s entrance to contain, and they spilled onto the road, leaving buses to move around them, while one or two commuter bikes stopped to watch.

Oxford East’s MP Anneliese Dodds told the Pro-EU audience they could not be despondent as there was ‘too much to fight for.’

She said the rights EU citizens living in the UK needed to be protected, and said the UK needed to work with EU countries which were working to tackle the climate crisis.

Inside, her colleague in Oxford West and Abingdon, Layla Moran MP, addressed the audience of 500 people who had gathered in their anger about Brexit.

Ms Moran said she would hold the government to account for its record on Brexit, including on protecting jobs, workers rights, and the environment.

Members of the public were invited to speak from the stage, and one man called Guy Jackson, wearing a blue cooking apron embossed with a map of Europe, took the opportunity to tell his fellow Remainers they would become ‘Rejoiners’ at 11pm that night.

The meeting finished with a rendition of Ode to Joy sung in German, and the tune was played again on the streets outside the hall by the Horns of Plenty jazz band.

The demonstration moved to Bonn Square at 10.45pm, where there were more speeches from the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Craig Simmons, and Labour city councillor John Tanner, among others.

Mr Simmons announced he would be touring some of Oxford’s twin towns in Europe in the coming weeks: Bonn, Leiden and Wroclaw; to reinforce friendship links post-Brexit.

Mr Tanner described the evening leading up to Brexit as a ‘dark night’.

There was more singing from the crowd, while onlookers from the international media, including Austrian public broadcaster ORF filmed them.

There were some pro-Brexit shouts from passing Friday night drinkers.

Demonstrators held up their mobile phones with the torches switched on in a final vigil as the countdown to 11pm started.

The event organisers were Oxford for Europe, Oxford European Association and European Movement (Oxford Region).

Ahead of the the vigil, leaders of Oxford’s European twin cities vowed to ensure long-lasting friendships survive.

Throughout the day on Friday, Oxford City Council flew the European Union flag, and plans to fly the flags of its five EU twin cities next week, as a mark of commitment to remaining an international city.